The Dallas Cowboys spent Sunday telling the NFL that Joe Milton III had made their 53-man roster. By Monday afternoon, he was out.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that Dallas is releasing Milton after the Cowboys claimed running back Emari Demercado off waivers. Milton had survived cutdown day alongside Dak Prescott and Sam Howell, which made the timing almost as surprising as the decision itself.
Joe Milton Release Immediately Draws NFL Attention
Former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel did not need many words to identify what he expects to happen next.
“So many teams should be calling,” Daniel wrote in an X post.
So many teams should be calling https://t.co/vlgcCpDsOz
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) August 31, 2026
Tom Downey, the host of Cowboys Report for Chat Sports, called it “the unexpected roster move to make room for the new RB” in another post. SleeperNFL had an even simpler response to Schefter’s report: “Huh????”
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The Miami speculation arrived almost instantly. Dolphins-focused account FinsXtra responded with only an eyes emoji in its post. That was a social-media reaction, not reporting that Miami has shown interest in Milton.
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) August 31, 2026
Fantasy football analyst Joe Orrico pointed toward another quarterback-needy franchise.
“Should be the Browns starting QB tomorrow,” Orrico wrote in his post.
Should be the Browns starting QB tomorrow pic.twitter.com/yY4CYnXyYH https://t.co/oJYMBeNmt1
— Joe Orrico (@JoeOrrico) August 31, 2026
Nick Harris was surprised by Milton’s release as he wrote, “Shocked there was no trade value there, but there are a lot of QBs in the league. Wow.”
David Furones, who covers Miami, also reacted to the news by writing, “Dolphin?”
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That suggestion goes much further than anything actually reported about Milton’s market, but the interest is understandable. The 26-year-old is known for his exceptional arm strength and just finished a productive preseason.
Dallas Chooses Sam Howell Behind Dak Prescott
Across three exhibition games, Milton completed 29 of 43 passes for 378 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown, with his best outing coming Aug. 22 against Arizona when he threw for 179 yards and two scores.
Howell answered in the preseason finale by completing 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against New Orleans. Dallas initially decided there was room for both, keeping three quarterbacks Sunday before Monday’s reversal left Howell as Prescott’s backup.
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There is also some investment being surrendered. Dallas sent New England a 2025 fifth-round pick and a seventh-round pick in the trade for Milton. Milton later appeared in four regular-season games for the Cowboys, completing 15 of 24 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
His limited workload kept him from qualifying for PFN’s full-season QB Impact rankings. Dallas, however, finished No. 29 in Team Impact last season with a 64.7 grade despite an offense that performed far better than the club’s overall mark.
Milton’s NFL sample is still small, but he has flashed before. In his lone start for New England as a rookie, he completed 22 of 29 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown in a rookie season finale win over Buffalo.
Milton now has to pass through waivers, giving other teams a direct chance to act on the kind of interest Daniel predicted. The Cowboys chose Howell as their immediate insurance behind Prescott. The question is whether another organization sees Milton as more than that.
